Violet
by MyouTakara
Summary: Sequel to Traitor. For every action taken, there are always Consequences. Yaoi, contains rape and torture.
1. Consequences

Chapter One

What? You didn't HONESTLY think that was the end of it, did you? *grins *

* * *

Belial groaned, gripping Shadow's hair tightly as his back arched off the bed. Shadow swallowed, sucking lightly to drain every drop before he pulled away. Chuckling, he slid up Belial's body to steal a kiss.

Belial slapped him.

"What was that for?!" Shadow whined, rubbing his face.

"Being an idiot!" Belial hissed, fixing his pants and moving towards the edge of the bed. Shadow tried to pull him back; he still wanted his release, after all. Patience snapping, Belial twisted and slapped him again, sending him tumbling over the side of the bed.

"Come on, Belial! What did I do?" Shadow stood, tugging his tunic down awkwardly over his erection. He noticed where Belial was headed and gasped, rushing to stop him. "Belial, wait!"

Belial ignored him, stalking across the room to the shadow-prison. He batted the illusion away with a wave of his glowing hand. Vio hung in an unnatural way in his chains, like a broken marionette.

"Belial? . . Oh come on, Belial! He _deserved_ it!" Shadow said, grabbing Belial's arm. The Shadow Caster knocked it away, his light sparking across Shadow's skin.

"I don't like to be _used_, Shadow." Belial replied tersely, his tone acerbic. He pointedly turned his back on Shadow, returning his attention to Vio.

Iblis, the Lord God of the Dead and Patron of the Sheikah tribe, knelt beside the dying Hero. '_Save him, Shadow Caster,_' his eyes pleaded. '_His time has not yet come.'_

"Who says I was using you?! I sucked YOU off!" Shadow shouted, nursing the place where Belial's magic had burned him.

Belial placed two fingers against the limp Hero's neck, hoping. . . Yes! His pulse was weak and thready, but there. He wasn't dead yet, though he would be soon if Belial didn't get him help. He'd already lost consciousness, and was barely breathing.

"HEY!" Shadow shouted, grabbing Belial's hand to pull him away, "don't fucking touch him! Do you have ANY IDEA what that little shit did to me?! He needs to be punished! He-"

"He is DYING, Shadow!" Belial snarled, eyes blazing as he yanked his hand free of Shadow's grasp. His touch burned through the shadow-bonds that kept Vio upright, and Belial caught the Hero as he fell forward. Belial winced; he could see and feel how many bones had broken, and there wasn't a patch of visible skin that wasn't torn or bloodied.

Speechless, Shadow didn't try to stop Belial when he lifted Vio into his arms and ran from the room, yelling for Ubel. Using a portal would doubtless be faster, but he wasn't certain that Vio's battered body could withstand the strain.

A Hinox lumbered up to the open door, regarding it in confusion for a moment before silently offering the note it held to Shadow.

Snapping himself from his daze, Shadow took it. Almost immediately he wished he hadn't.

_My Dear Shadowed Sky Child,_

_I must admit that I am severely disappointed in you. Weeks ago I sent you a missive summoning you to my castle, and you have seen fit to IGNORE me! I do not like to be ignored, Shadow Sky Child. It makes me very disagreeable. You may have earned your power, but only because I allowed it, and I will not tolerate your disrespect! I can take all you hold away from you, if I deem it necessary for you to remember your place. _

_Consider this a notice of inspection; I will arrive tomorrow, and if all aspects of your domain do not meet my expectations there will be Consequences. _

_Your Master,_

_Demon Lord Ghirahim_

Fuck.

Clenching the note in his fist, Shadow felt his way through his domain to locate Heine. Finding Heine in the courtyard with another of the Innocents, a younger Hunter boy named Kesi, he hurried through the shadows to get to them.

"Heine!" He called. Heine must have heard the note of panic in his voice, for he ended his mock-fight with Kesi swiftly, ("Hey! Heine, no fair!") and loped over to Shadow, jumping on him for a hug. Heine pulled a face that Shadow couldn't see, scenting blood and sex on his skin. Behind him, Kesi rubbed at his nose; he was close enough to smell it, but not quite experienced enough to understand it.

Shadow pulled back, stroking Heine's hair and sighing softly. "Heine. . . Listen, Heine, there's something I need you to do for me. I need you to gather up the others and take them somewhere safe, all right? Gather everyone up and be out in an hour. Get supplies from the kitchen; don't return until I send for you, understand?"

Heine peered up at Shadow's face in concern. He knew that something wasn't right, and he shouldn't leave Shadow alone. He flung his arms around Shadow's waist. "Stay with you!"

"No, Heine. It's not safe for the others here, and they won't be safe anywhere else unless you're there to protect them." Shadow held him close, pleading, "please Heine, for me?"

Heine didn't like it, but he nodded slowly. "For you." He hugged Shadow tightly again, then ran off, gesturing for Kesi to follow him.

Shadow sighed in relief, knowing his Innocents were in good hands.

Now to deal with Vio.

Shadow clenched his fists, teeth bared at the thought of the traitor. Perhaps he SHOULD hand him over to Lord Ghirahim; his Master would surely be pleased if he did. Lord Ghirahim had waited for so long to take his revenge on the hated Sky Child; Vio would BEG in the most delightful ways for Shadow's kindness by the time Lord Ghirahim finished with him. He would take any whipping or acquiesce to any demand Shadow placed on him with tears of gratitude.

If he survived what Lord Ghirahim did to him.

If he survived. . .

He should do it! He wanted to do it! He wanted to watch his Master force Vio to the cold floor, pin him there and- and-

The thought made him sick.

Vio may have lied to him, may have acted like a slut when Shadow ever-so-kindly gave him a little freedom, (he wouldn't make THAT mistake again!) but that was all the more reason to keep him alive! If Lord Ghirahim killed him, then he could not be sufficiently punished for his transgressions by Shadow's own hand.

Shadow nodded, reaffirming his decision. Lord Ghirahim would not discover that his vassal kept a Hero for a pet.

* * *

"I don't know why I even waste my breath giving advice that will not be followed," Belial said dryly. He watched with disinterest as Ubel and Vaati darted here and there around the medical ward, doing their best to stabilize Vio's condition.

"Now is not the time, Belial!" They'd had to suction a tremendous amount of blood from his lungs, and Ubel ordered Vaati to recite every spell he knew to stop bleeding to try to keep Vio's blood pressure from dropping any lower.

Ubel attempted to get Vio to swallow a potion, but try as he might, the unconscious Hero wouldn't take it. No amount of coaxing could make him swallow, and instead he began to choke. Desperate, Ubel worked a flexible tube down Vio's throat, pouring the contents of a blue potion into a connected funnel. He hoped that Vio's digestive system hadn't deteriorated so far that his body wouldn't be able to absorb it.

Iblis remained a specter at Vio's bedside, watching the proceedings with a melancholy expression. Rather than fading, he seemed to become more solid as time passed; once he became fully visible (at least to Belial's eyes), Vio would die.

Hearing footsteps, Ubel's eyes flicked towards the ward door, then back to his patient. His tone was icy calm, but beneath lay the threat of danger. "If Lord Shadow dares to step one foot in here, I will kill him."

Belial did not doubt him. He moved swiftly out the door, shutting it firmly and standing in front of it to block Shadow's way. Standing with his arms crossed, Belial fully intended to tell Shadow off and maybe slap him again for his idiocy, but the deer-in-the-lantern look that greeted Belial caught him off-guard.

Though he tried to hide it, Shadow's form shook. He swallowed several times, trying to regain control of his voice. "Belial, I- I need you to do something for me." He bowed his head, letting his dark hair fall across his face. He took a breath to speak, but stopped again, biting his lip. Belial waited, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

After too long a pause, Shadow spoke again. "I- You have to take Vio away. Take him somewhere I wouldn't think to look for him."

Belial regarded him in silence for a moment, every instinct he had screaming _wrong, wrong, wrong!_ "Why?"

"I can't tell you," Shadow whispered, avoiding Belial's gaze.

Fine. He'd find out on his own. ". . . All right. I don't like it, but I won't push you." Belial conceded, though he was already plotting.

"Thank you." Shadow pulled Belial close, pressing a kiss to his lips. Belial allowed it, embracing him briefly before stepping away. Shadow let him go, giving him one more look before vanishing into the shadows.

Belial sighed. He WOULD find out what had spooked Shadow so badly. But for now, he had to take care of Vio. Sighing, he re-entered Ubel's medical ward. "Ubel, get him ready. He's being transferred."

Ubel looked up from his work, holding a curious hand-pumped device he used to suction fluid from Vio's lungs. "To where?"

"Hyrule."

* * *

Belial clutched Vio to his chest as he passed through his light portal, taking him directly to the one person he knew could preserve Vio's life. "Zelda! Wake up!"

Zelda woke abruptly, momentarily disoriented by the brightness of her room despite the late hour. She'd just fallen asleep, surely?

"PRINCESS ZELDA!" Belial moved forward, laying Vio on Zelda's bed and unwrapping the bloodstained blanket that covered him from all but his most private areas.

"Is that- VIO?! Oh, Goddesses!" She gasped in horror, examining him by Belial's natural light. Vio looked starved, bloody, and bruised. Someone had attempted to heal him; much of the blood had been wiped away, his limbs set with splints, and a tingle of magic remained on his skin.

But-

As she watched, he stopped breathing.

"VIO!" She pressed an ear to his chest, unable to hear the beating of his heart. Carefully placing her hands on his head, Zelda willed her magic into Vio's body. The spark of life within him was fading fast, and he wasn't fighting it. The damage was too extensive, would take too long to heal. His heart didn't have the strength to beat, nor his lungs the will to breathe.

She didn't have a choice. "I'm sorry, Vio."

Zelda held up her arms and bright light flashed around them. Zelda's power flared and lifted Vio's still form from the bed, coalescing around him in a swirl of golden magic and violet-tinted light. When it faded, Vio floated above the bed, suspended in a clear purple crystal.

Sheik appeared at Zelda's side, having felt the rise of magic in her room. His uncovered face stared at the crystal in horror. He took a slow step forwards, head bowed as he gazed at Vio's oddly peaceful expression. "Oh Vio, I'm so sorry. . ."

Sheik's hands clenched into fists and he turned on his heel, stalking towards the door. Belial headed him off, grabbing his shoulders to stop him. "Let me GO, Belial!" Sheik snarled, furious. The murderous look in his eyes promised that Shadow would be in a world of pain when he caught him, no matter whose domain it was.

"No. Sheik, Sheik listen to me!" Belial hissed, attempting to hold him back.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Sheik screamed in rage, swinging at Belial, who dodged it just in time. Sheik swung again and Belial blocked, catching his fist. Sheik brought his knee up, but Belial caught his leg and flipped him. Sheik grabbed Belial's arm to pull him down and roll them, attempting to pin him down. Belial kicked him off and Sheik tackled him again, this time managing to land a blow to the side of Belial's face. He snaked his arms around Belial's neck before he could recover, catching him in a choke hold-

"BOYS!" Impa hauled Sheik off, holding him up and glaring at him like she'd caught him spying on Green in the bath (again). "What is the meaning of this?! One of the Heroes needs medical help, you woke the princess from her sleep to tend to him, and now you're fighting like children! You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Both Sheik and Belial had the grace to look ashamed, bowing their heads and mumbling apologies. Her expression stern, Impa dropped Sheik back onto his feet, looking past them towards the crystal containing Vio. She too could see the form of Iblis hovering nearby, and she bowed her head to murmur a prayer to him for the injured hero. "Princess, what would you have us do?"

Zelda cleared her throat, looking as regal as one could in a nightdress and with bed hair. "Sheik, I'm going to need you to fetch the other Links; they will want to know that Vio has returned. Belial, help me transport Vio to the medical ward so the healers can tend to him. Impa, please go ahead to the medical ward and let the healers know we are coming."

"Yes, princess." The three chorused. Impa vanished and Belial moved to stand by Vio's head, Zelda at his feet. Between them, their shining magic wrapped around the crystal and lifted it, floating it out of Zelda's room towards the medical ward two floors below.

Sheik watched them leave before taking a shuddering breath and heading towards the room he shared with Green; guilt ate at him, accusing whispers in his mind that he should have done more, should have never kept silent. He hesitated outside their door, squeezing his eyes shut and exhaling slowly. "Goddesses above and God below, please guide me."

Green lay curled up in the middle of their bed clutching a pillow, exactly where Sheik had left him. "Green? Green, wake up." Sheik pressed his lips to his lover's, nudging him awake. Green groaned, tired blue eyes blinking up at him. His look changed to one of alarm, however, when he saw the heartache in Sheik's eyes.

"What is it, Sheik? What's happened?" Green asked, scrambling for his clothing and weapons. "Are Blue and Red all right? And Zelda?"

Sheik wrapped his arms around Green, embracing him. "They're fine, Green, but. . ." He buried his face in Green's neck, taking a shuddering breath. "Vio."

"Vio? He's home?" Green breathed, hardly daring to believe it.

Sheik felt his heart break. "He is, but. . ." Sheik closed his eyes with a pained keen. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Please tell me he's not dead, Sheik please!" Green begged him.

"He isn't far from it. Let's get the others and I'll take you to him." Sheik said. He kept a grasp on Green's hand while they woke Blue and Red, even Blue keeping his mouth shut at the somber expressions on their faces. Green held onto Sheik while Red and Blue threw their tunics on without a word. Red took Green's other hand while keeping hold of Blue's as the four of them traipsed through the halls to the medical ward.

The area in the back had been curtained off, but they could see the shadows of healers casting their spells behind it. Other patients lay sleeping in the ward beds, the murmured spells quiet enough not to disturb them. Blue shifted impatiently and Red made him sit in a nearby chair, climbing into his lap and sniffling sadly. Green laid his head against Sheik's chest, never taking his eyes off the curtain. All dreaded what they would see when they finally laid eyes upon Vio again.

They waited until the sun peaked over the horizon, and the healers finally emerged from behind the curtain. Others patients had begun to stir, and the healers set about tending to them while Zelda made her way to the four. She looked tired, her face drawn.

"Vio will live. The healers and I have come to the consensus that he should remain in the crystal until he wakes on his own." Zelda told them, keeping her voice low. "This way, his body will have time to heal. We cannot fix every injury, but we're doing our best."

"How long will he sleep, Zelda?" Green asked quietly, never loosening his grip on Sheik's hand.

Zelda sighed and shook her head. "Honestly, there's no telling. It's up to him. If he does not wish to wake, then perhaps he never will. He may choose to sleep forever, sealed within his own dreams.

Red choked on a sob and buried his face into Blue's neck. Blue's expression was stony, but he kept staring towards the curtain, as though willing Vio to poke his head out and call them all stupid for falling for his prank. Green squeezed Sheik's hand, his head bowed to let his hair hide his face.

"Can we see him?" Red asked, his voice tiny and afraid.

Zelda hesitated, but finally she nodded. "Come with me." Silent, the four followed her to the back of the ward, stepping around the curtain.

Green retched and Red's hand flew to his mouth as he gasped, staring in wide-eyed horror at Vio's current state. He floated suspended within the crystal, the magic contained inside of it helping his heart to beat and his lungs to function. His body glowed wherever there was healing internal damage; most of his body shone too brightly to look upon. Past the light it was difficult to see him, but he looked so scrawny it appeared he hadn't eaten since he'd vanished those many months ago. How long had it been? Too long.

Blue clenched his fists, his entire body shaking and eyes blazing. "Who did this to him? Who?! I'll kill them! I'll fucking kill them!"

"You will do no such thing, blue knight." Blue's head whipped to the side, where what seemed to be a glowing, colder version of Sheik leaned nonchalantly against the wall.

Red gasped. "It's the one who dances when the lyre plays!"

"Tell me who it was!" Blue demanded, taking a threatening step forward.

Belial remained unmoved, his luminous green eyes shifting to meet Sheik's sorrowful red. "It is no one's place to say but Vio himself. Isn't that right, mon obscurité?"

Sheik glared at him, but before he could retort he caught sight of Green, staring at him in abject horror. "Green?" Sheik asked, reaching for him in concern, "are you-?"

"You knew, didn't you?" Green whispered, stepping away from him. "You knew where he was!"

Sheik looked away; he could not deny it. Green bowed his head, his bangs falling across his eyes. Sheik placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, but Green shook him off. "Green, I-"

"Get out."

"Green, please-"

"GET OUT!" Green shouted, his voice ringing through the ward, on the verge of cracking. His entire body trembled as he cried, feeling hurt and betrayed.

Sheik appraised him in silence, his expression heartbroken. He wanted so much to pull Green into his arms and comfort him, to try to excuse himself though he knew no excuse could be found. No, there was nothing more he could say. Sheik lifted his cowl to cover the lower half of his face and turned, dragging his feet as he left the medical ward. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his hand on the door, but he knew that sorry would never be enough.

* * *

Thank you to all those who reviewed Traitor! I really can't predict you guys; I thought I would make everyone rage, but most of you just cried or begged for a sequel.


	2. Even a Lord is Only a Vassal

Chapter Two

Note: Don't fall asleep with headphones connected to your laptop if you're a restless sleeper. Your laptop is very likely to have an intimate meeting with the floor, and take your notes with it. . . All of my book notes are on Scrivener, so even though it's backed up elsewhere, I still can't work on it at the library, but I can write Violet! So, here's Chapter Two!

Fasalina's not mine! She's (can you guess?) Kurotorasempai's. Well, actually, I have just been informed she's from another anime, Gun x Sword. Okay then. She appeared in the RP and wouldn't go away. Since I make no claim to know jack about the show, let's just say she's a character inspired by that Fasalina and go with it, kay? Kuro-chan has fanart of her on her dA account.

* * *

_All around him, there was nothing. _

_He was floating in an endless void of silence, alone._

_Was he dead? _

_He hoped he was._

* * *

Sheik crouched in the rafters of the medical ward of Hyrule Castle, unseen. After his fight with Green, he'd been unequivocally banished from their shared room. He didn't like it, but Sheik could understand Green's anger. He knew he probably vdeserved it. No matter what Vio had asked of him, he should have told someone, found some way. . .

What he didn't understand, however, was Green's insistence that he not be permitted near Vio's crystal. Did Green think that he would sneak Vio back to the Dark World, back to his tormentor? Did Green really think him capable of doing such a thing?

That hurt.

Down below, Red sat at Vio's bedside, his head nodding forward sleepily. At least one of the other three Links had been with Vio since he returned, talking to him, pleading with him to wake up, or just sitting there, silent, as Red was doing now. His eyes were bloodshot; he'd only stopped crying about ten minutes before.

He still hadn't noticed Sheik. None of them had, and he'd been there all day. Vio would have, though. Vio had always seen what the other three missed. Sheik stared down into Vio's closed eyes, partially obscured by the hard, smooth surface of the crystal. He imagined them opening and finding him in seconds, demanding to know what the hell he was doing in the rafters, _again_.

_Blue eyes rolled, peering up at his hiding place in the shadow of the windowsill. "No, Sheik. I am a knight, not a spy, and it's going to stay that way. Now get down before Green thinks you're trying to spy on him in the bath again!" _

"_Who says I'm not?~" _

Sheik's heart ached, remembering a time shortly before Vio's disappearance. Many such conversations had been precipitated by Sheik hiding himself in a place the others failed to notice, where Vio's sharp, dry stare always managed to locate him. Perhaps it had something to do with his time living amongst the shadows during the war, but Vio was as observant and wily as any Sheikah, and always had been. Sheik often thought that leaving Vio in a knight's position was a waste of his talents. He'd told Vio as much, several times, but Vio wouldn't hear of leaving his post beside the others.

Sighing, Sheik dropped silently to the floor, rustling the curtain to alert Red to his presence before pulling it back. The poor half-asleep Hero stared uncomprehendingly at Sheik, then dropped his gaze back to the crystal. Sheik padded over to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Red, you look exhausted. Why don't you go to sleep? I'll take it from here."

Red rubbed his eyes and shook his head. ". . . Green doesn't want you alone with him."

Ouch.

"Red, I swear he's safe with me. You know he's my friend too," Sheik murmured, keeping his voice low.

Red thought this over for a long moment, then reached up to wrap his arms around Sheik's shoulders. "I know. And I know that if he could say so, Vio'd be fine with it too." A yawn stretched his jaw wide and Red released Sheik, standing. "I'm going to bed. Zelda should be by to check on him before Green comes to take the next shift."

"Thank you, Red," Sheik said with a sad smile. He closed the curtain again, and dropped heavily into the chair Red had vacated, fixing his eyes on Vio. The crystal remained as cold and still as it had seemed from above, Vio trapped unmoving in its center. He didn't stir, his chest barely rising with each breath. The crystal nourished and healed him, breathed for him, and kept him alive. It did not conceal his painful, wasted appearance.

"It's been too long already, Vio. Won't you wake up?" Sheik murmured, resting his chin on his clasped hands. "I miss you. We all do. Please, please wake up soon."

There was no response, but really, he hadn't been expecting one. "Oh, Vio. . ."

Not for the first time, Sheik felt glad for the cowl that caught his tears.

* * *

The children were safe? Check.

Vio gone? Check.

Castle cleaned, but the floor left as bloody as Lord Ghirahim preferred to see it? Feast prepared? Check and check.

Shadow took a breath to steady himself, raising his gaze to the portrait of the King of Demons, Demise, that hung on his wall. He knelt before it, placing his hands on the floor and bowing his head. "Oh Demon King, please grant me the wisdom to please my Lord and Master, your servant, Demon Lord Ghirahim. I've come so far, I want nothing more than for my Lord to be proud of all I have done."

His prayer finished, Shadow hurried to the Entrance Hall. His servants buzzed here and there making last-minute preparations, but a snap of his fingers sent them all scrambling into place. Shadow's gaze swept over his gathered servants, and he nodded his satisfaction. His Lord and Master would arrive any moment now. Actually, he should have been there an hour ago, but he was always fashionably late, and Shadow knew it.

"Lord Shadow? When Lord Ghirahim arrives, may I give him the traditional greeting of Demons?" Ubel asked.

Shadow waved him off, having only half-heard. "Whatever. Just don't piss him off. This is too fucking important for you to screw it up!"

"Understood, sir," Ubel responded with what might have been a hint of sarcasm before returning to the line.

A snap of fingers and spattering of black diamonds had Shadow jumping ramrod straight before dropping to his knees. Behind him, his servants did the same, pressing their foreheads to the floor.

A pleased chuckle rang through the air, and an all-too familiar voice called out, "you may rise, Shadowed Sky Child."

Shadow stood, drawing himself up proudly. "Welcome, Lord Ghirahim, Lieutenant Fasalina. I hope you will find everything to your satisfaction."

"Oh, I'm sure I will," Ghirahim said. He wore the same outfit he always had, white and skin-tight, with a diamond pattern cut into it and a red gem fastened around his waist. Shadow had once heard that the outfit pleased King Demise, and that was why Ghirahim continued to wear it, even these centuries later.

Ghirahim's red cloak fluttered about his shoulders as he sauntered closer. "You had better have been a _very _busy boy to excuse your rudeness." He caught Shadow's chin in his hand, tilting his face upwards. He leaned in closer, his tone poisoned honey. "I do not like to be ignored, my pet."

"Yes, Master," Shadow whispered back, not daring to look away. Pleased, Ghirahim patted his cheek, then set off down the rows of servants, inspecting each one critically.

Fasalina stopped by Shadow's side, a sweet smile playing across her lips as she reached out to pet his hair. "I've missed you, Shadow," she crooned, twirling a lock between her fingers. "Things have just gotten so. . _. boring_ since you left.~"

Shadow stilled under her touch, his heart racing. "It's. . . nice to see you too, Lieutenant," he said, trying his best to keep his voice steady. Fasalina was tall for even a Demon woman, with Hylian-like features and dragon scales decorating her visible skin. Her dark hair spilled down the back of her indecently high-slit purple and white dress, her gray eyes just as piercing as they'd been when he was a child under her supervision. He barely repressed a shiver.

Ahead, Ghirahim continued his inspection of Shadow's servants. The Hinox, for their part, remained still and silent. Their cousins were the Bokoblins who served under Ghirahim; they knew his temper, and would not cause trouble. The Hylian shadows too were passed without incident. Ghirahim let his gaze linger over one or two longer than Shadow liked, but they were not harmed, for which Shadow breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Ghirahim paused before Vaati, a smirk playing across his lips. "Well, well, if it isn't the mighty Gufuu~" he said with a smirk, hauling the small mage off his feet and holding him up by the back of his robe. Vaati choked and tugged on the fabric, glaring at him and snarling with impotent rage. His defiance only seemed to amuse the Demon Lord. "Many years ago I offered you an alliance, and you refused. And now look at you, pathetic Minish. A servant to my dog. A mere flea." He dropped Vaati carelessly, like so much discarded trash. The Minish snarled, but a hissed order from Shadow silenced him and rooted him in place.

_Oh that fucking mage is going to PAY! _Shadow broke his glare from Vaati just in time to see Ubel's overly-long tongue lick across Ghirahim's face. Shadow felt his heart stop, certain Ghirahim was going to lose his temper and kill them all-

-But he didn't. Instead, Ghirahim returned the lick and nodded his approval before moving down the line.

"What the fuck was that?" Shadow hissed at Ubel, furious.

Ubel blinked back, unperturbed. "The traditional greeting of Demons. You said it would be permitted," he replied. Shadow fumed, but Fasalina glanced back at him, and he smoothed his expression, hurrying to catch up.

Ghirahim stood at the end of the line, arms crossed and scowling. His gaze swept over the servants again, as though he were looking for someone in particular whose absence irked him. Huffing, he took note of the decorations around the room, loudly declaring them 'tacky.'

"Show me the rest," Ghirahim commanded, tone sharp. Whatever goodwill Shadow had earned through the behavior of his servants, it appeared, had already evaporated.

"Yes, Lord Ghirahim," Shadow responded. "As you may have noticed outside, the town is already twice as large as it was two years ago. The fields have been expanded, and by using the more efficient techniques from your domain-"

Ghirahim held up his hand, his nose upturned. "I saw," he answered flatly. "Show me the castle, Shadowed Sky Child. I want to see everything and _everyone _within it."

Gulping uneasily, Shadow obeyed. He took Ghirahim first to the empty throne room, now filled with white diamonds and soft shades of lavender. They inspected the medical wards, which had one occupied bed: a whining Hinox child who'd fallen ill, and whose mother had brought him to see Ubel. Shadow feared for a moment that Ghirahim would strike the crying youth, but Ubel hurried past and rushed to quiet him. Ghirahim said nothing, and after a quick scan swept back out of the room. He prowled the stacks of the library, insisting upon walking down each and every row in silence.

From there, they made their way to Shadow's chambers. The blood had been cleaned and the shadow-chains removed, leaving not a trace that two of them had ever occupied the space. Ghirahim looked in the bathroom and flung open the doors of the closet, which contained only fine black tunics. He pronounced it a crime that Shadow's tastes had never improved, and his face took on a sour expression. He stalked to the window, looking out over the grounds below. Shadow glanced towards Fasalina for a hint as to what he was doing wrong and how to fix it, but she only smiled and draped herself across his shoulders, her sharp red-painted nails drawing little circles across his chest.

In fact, Ghirahim seemed to only grow more and more displeased as they walked through the remaining halls and past the busy kitchens, to the door that lead to the dungeons. Ghirahim navigated the turns without issue, becoming visibly more irate until they reached the cell where Sheik had hung.

There, Ghirahim whirled on Shadow without warning, lifting him several inches off the floor and slamming him into the wall. "Where is he?!" Ghirahim snarled, his face twisted into an expression of rage.

"W-Who, my Lord?" Shadow stammered, grasping Ghirahim's arm. He didn't dare struggle.

Ghirahim struck him and threw him to the filthy floor, keeping him pinned there with a boot to his back. "I don't like liars, Shadowed Sky Child. Where is the Sky Child?! Where is the Hero of Hyrule you were keeping!?"

_Fuck!_

"I- I don't know what you're talking about, Master Ghirahim," Shadow whimpered, though he knew he was caught. Ghirahim grabbed Shadow's hair without lifting his foot, jerking Shadow's head back at a painful angle.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out when you bragged about it to the entire Dark World? Are you really that stupid? Did you think you could get away with keeping my revenge from me?!" Ghirahim's voice rose in pitch, pulling harder and harder until Shadow cried out.

"I'm sorry, Master! He- He's gone! I was ashamed to tell you!" Shadow shouted, pleading for mercy he knew would not come.

"Disappointment," Ghirahim growled, releasing Shadow's hair and letting his head fall. He snapped his fingers and they reappeared in Shadow's throne room. Ghirahim's boot connected with Shadow's side again, causing him to curl up and whimper. Scowling, he spoke, his voice filled with icy fury. "You have betrayed me, Shadowed Sky Child. You are a traitor to your Master, and you know what happens to traitors, don't you?"

Disgusted, Ghirahim stalked to the throne and threw himself on it, arms crossed like a petulant child. "Fasalina, take care of him. Fifty lashes, no fewer."

Fasalina giggled in delight, springing into a bow. "Yes, Master Ghirahim." She turned to Shadow, kneeling by his side to pet his hair. "Oh little Shadow, we're going to play a game. You miss playing games with me, don't you?~ Ah, but your pretty tunic will get dirty! We can't have that! Take it off, little Shadow, and we'll play."

Shadow cringed from her, a pathetic, fearful whimper escaping his lips. "Yes, Lady Fasalina," he whispered. Slowly, miserably, Shadow did as she commanded. He removed his tunic, folded it, and set it aside. He knelt with his head bowed and arms at his side, clad only in his boots, tights, and hat.

Fasalina clapped her hands in glee. "What game shall we play? Oh, I know! Scream all you like, little Shadow, but don't you dare move, or you lose! " She leaned in close to him, trailing her fingers across his bare chest and lower, cupping him and squeezing none-too-gently. Shadow choked on a gasp and clenched his fists, and she laughed again. "And you know what happens when you lose, little Shadow.~ Now, I trust you haven't forgotten your position?"

"No, Lady Fasalina," he whispered. He knelt, pressed his forehead to the floor, and stretched his arms out in front of him as his servants had done when Ghirahim arrived. He only felt lucky that they hadn't been summoned to witness this.

He heard a snap of magic and the first strike cracked across his clothed behind. Fabric and skin split as though cut with blade of a newly-sharpened knife, and Shadow cried out. His body jerked and Fasalina giggled. "Don't move, don't move, I said! Those are the rules and you're going to lose!"

Her whip struck him again and again, her laughter echoing all around him. She worked her way up his back methodically, flaying every inch of visible skin until blood he shouldn't bleed coated the floor beneath him and hid the exposed bones of his ribs. Shadow screamed and attempted to curl up, but the whip struck his thighs until he again righted himself into the demanded position.

"That's enough," Ghirahim called lazily when Shadow's blood-spattered body trembled and his sobs had quieted to hitched gasps. "Salt the wounds."

_Oh, Goddesses_! The salt, made of a mineral found only within Ghirahim's domain, burned like hellfire on his abused flesh, and he knew it would for hours afterwards. A fresh scream escaped his lips, and Fasalina hummed in pleasure. She yanked him up by his hair, her hands snaking in front of him to grip and squeeze his crotch. "Too bad, little Shadow. You lose. No getting off for you.~ But that's all right. You still like it, don't you?" she purred, slipping her cold hand inside Shadow's tights and earning a gasp.

A smirk crossing his lips, Ghirahim snapped his fingers, vanishing from the throne to reappear on one knee beside Shadow. He cupped Shadow's face and lifted it, his tongue snaking out to lick away the salty tears and spatters of black blood. "As you have proven yourself a worthless Lord, it pleases me to know you still remember how to be a dog at my feet." Something materialized in his other hand and Shadow had just a moment to register the sight of the thick gray collar before Ghirahim snapped it in place around his neck. He whimpered as his strength and magic seeped from him, rendering him helpless.

Ghirahim stood, a leash materializing in his hand. He gave it a hard yank, sending Shadow sprawling. "Fasalina, find someone else to tend to this worthless domain. My pet and I are leaving."

"Yes, Lord Ghirahim," Fasalina responded, curtsying.

* * *

Thank you to the Chapter One reviewers:

**XoXLink**

**DarkLinkLovesLink**

**Aeterni7as**: Get some sleep! And enjoy Chapter Two~

**SaphireWhiteWolf**: Hopefully Ghirahim will live up to your expectations.~ Dun dun DUN! Oh Vio, Vio, whatever shall he doooo…

**LeaStar**: Glad you liked it! Now that Vio's back, there should be more of the others!

**DarkVioletShadows**

**Viochann**: Predictable is boring.~

**Moon13Dreams**: We are now beginning to delve into Shadow's motivations and thought processes. *cackles*

**BrightGreenLights**: Oh dear, I just keep making you cry don't I? Yes, the letter Majora stole was indeed the missive Ghirahim sent. Oh, Belial is going to be interesting the next few chapters. He won't be happy when he hears about what's happened. Not at all. *cackles*

**TheMysticalQ**: How much do they know, how much do they know?~ Wouldn't you like to know! *grins*

**Italy**: Poor Belial, getting so much hate.

**KitKatBarStory**: Investigating the psyche is my favorite part of this whole tale, and most of what keeps me writing it. I'm glad you appreciate my efforts.

**Fourswordslover**: Forgive who for what?


	3. Darkness and Temperance

Chapter Three

I have my laptop back, YAY!

Thank you to the lovely Kuro-chan for helping me work out Vio's dream via RP! What would I do without you?~

* * *

There was a light above him now, small, but growing ever-larger. He didn't want to go near it, but he couldn't find the will to move away. He felt content where he was, in the nothingness. Couldn't he stay?

The light above him rippled and hands seized his shoulders, hauling him upwards. Vio's head broke the surface of the water and he let out a startled gasp as he was roughly pulled from what he thought was the old Kakariko well and thrown onto blackened, dry grass. He doubled over, coughing, clenching his eyes shut to avoid the burning, punishing light. It wasn't even sunlight, he didn't think; just a garish, bright glare that shown from everywhere around him, blinding him and making his head ache.

Dry grass crackled as someone above him shifted, nudging the toe of a boot against his side. When he didn't react except to curl up more tightly, the person snorted. "Pathetic and depressing. I hate it when Shadow's right. . . smug shit."

Vio froze. That voice! How could it be? He lifted his head, his jaw dropping and eyes widening, for the person looming above him was himself. Not Blue or Green or Red, or someone new, but Vio. This Vio, of course, was nothing like the one curled up on the ground. This one stood strong, and confident, and somehow darker, his deep blue eyes cold and mysterious in a way that Vio had forgotten he could be. This Vio looked upon the one on the ground with his lip curled in disgust at the weakness he saw.

"Y-You. . . how. . . How?" Vio-on-the-ground whispered, unable to put his confusion into words. After so long- how long had it been?- of feeling nothing, Vio didn't know how to react.

A slow smirk spread across the darker Vio's face as he began to pace, walking around Vio-on-the-ground in slow circles.. ". . . Oh, come on, really? I've been nudging away all this time, trying to get out... I didn't appreciate the nap, Vio. I may have to punish you for that." Here he paused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "But wait... you're already punishing yourself, aren't you? Coward." His smirk twisted into a scowl, and his boot connected with the cowering Vio's side.

Rather than fighting, Vio-on-the-ground only whimpered and curled into a tighter ball to protect himself, ducking his head to avoid the other's gaze as he spoke. "I'm sorry. . . " he whispered. "I am a coward. . . I was afraid to die, for so long. He'd have killed me sooner if I didn't learn to obey."

"That's a lie!" Dark Vio spat, kicking the other once again. The force of it knocked Vio-on-the-ground sideways and he threw his arms over his head, crying out in anguish. What kind of death was this?! Was this his hell?

"What's a lie? I didn't lie to you! What reason do I have to lie to myself?" he cried, desperate. He couldn't- he couldn't do this! Not again! _ No more!_

Dark Vio remained unmoved. "Protection. You're the lie you tell yourself to sleep at night." He laughed dryly, cocking his head to the side as he observed the other Vio as though he were a particularly interesting, but disgusting, specimen he'd pulled from Lake Hylia. "I'm the reality. The calculation, the spite, the shallow emotions. You're a fake."

Vio lifted his head to look at his darker counterpart, but he quickly dropped his gaze back to the ground, shaking his head. "No, no, you're in my head. I'm hallucinating because I'm dying. You...you're not real."

Dark Vio tapped Vio's shoulder with the toe of his boot to see if Vio would look at him again. He didn't. "Dying? That's right, YOU'RE dying. Me... I'm getting stronger." A faint, satisfied smile played over his lips, like a cat. "I'll get it back soon. This body is a waste, but I can fix that."

Vio winced and shook his head again. "You- you can't be me. You're too much like- like him. Like Master Shadow."

Dark Vio clenched his fists and snarled, irritated by the undeserved respect granted to their shadow. He showed his displeasure with another kick, harder than the last one. It made Vio cry out, and Dark glared. He did not appreciate being compared to that blithering idiot. "You're joking, right? No. I'm not like him. HE is like ME." His smirk returned. "Or where did you think he got it...? Well, a little is from Red. But only a little. The vindictiveness mostly."

Vio shook his head in denial. "...You're too cruel to be me. I was never..."

Snarling, Dark Vio grabbed Vio by the front of his tunic and yanked him up, forcing their eyes to meet. "You WERE! Do NOT shy away from me! I am truth! YOUR truth! You have nowhere else to run!"

Vio cried out in fear, flinching away from this being could not be himself, no matter what he looked like. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! What do you want from me? Why can't you leave me alone and let me die in peace?!"

Disgusted, Dark Vio threw him to the ground. "If you want to die, then die! But I want to LIVE!"

Vio cried out at the jarring impact to his body, frail even here. He gave a pathetic whimper, choking on his tears. "...I don't want to die...but I can't live with the loneliness, the emptiness. . . It hurts, so much. You're me, you're bound to him. . . can't you feel it?"

Dark Vio watched him, his anger simmering. Despite this, when he answered, his voice remained controlled, stark, and flat. "I feel nothing I don't need to feel. I miss the others. I miss freedom. I miss the security of knowing how to manipulate the world to reach my ends. But I don't long for that man. . . maybe his body, but for control's sake. Not like you. Never like you. I never wanted that."

Several moments of silence passed while Vio considered his words. Did he long for Shadow, the way this other Vio seemed to think he did? Certainly he longed for the way things had been, when Shadow was kind, and loving. He longed for what could have been, had he been patient and tried to make Shadow see the errors of his ways rather than seeking to destroy him. But did he long for what they became? A Master and his submissive pet? "...Do you think I ever wanted to be his slave?"

At that, Dark Vio calmed. He thought about his words before he answered, something Vio knew well enough the others never did. Perhaps there was truth to his claim, after all. ". . .No. But I think you wanted to give in, because the fighting was harder... I think you wanted to hurt, because it's easier to bear than shame." His expression softened, and he knelt so that he wasn't looming over Vio. " Am I really such an awful reality?"

Taken aback by the kindness in his voice in contrast to the harsh treatment he'd so far endured at this other Vio's hands, Vio uncurled a little from his protective ball to peer up at Dark Vio through the curtain of his brittle bangs. "...It was easier, to agree that I deserved it, and let him do what he wanted."

The words rang true, and he knew it. He'd taken the easy way. He hadn't fought, and he'd begged Sheik not to defend him. He was. . . ashamed of what he'd done during the war, done to Shadow. Of course, at the time he'd given in because he thought he needed to for the others to be safe, but deep down, he'd always felt he deserved Shadow's anger, however out-of-proportion his retribution was.

And yet. . . "You...what will you do to him, if you live?"

Expression twisting again, though this time it was not aimed at Vio, Dark Vio sneered. "Whatever it takes."

Though he knew it wasn't meant for him, Vio flinched and looked away. He spoke in a whisper, ears drooping and eyes fixed on the grass. "...I can't let you hurt him. He wouldn't have touched me...us...if I...we hadn't encouraged him. And you know we did...taunting and teasing him, promising him our body only when Hyrule was ours...it's my...our own fault. Our fault he reacted that way." Vio lifted his head, feeling just a little bolder. "He should have been Belial's. We got in the way."

Dark Vio snorted, answering bluntly. "Belial can eat a dick. He and Shadow chase the same fleeting dreams. They're useless as anything beyond pawns and spanners. The only thing that's our fault is double-crossing an effective immortal. Noted for next time, anyway."

Vio recoiled sharply, as though Dark Vio had struck him. He glared at Dark Vio, though it was weak. ". . . D-Don't call them useless. They're not useless. You're horrible. I'm not you! I'm not you, and I won't let someone as cold-hearted as you become me!"

Smirking, Dark Vio leaned over him, taunting. "Bumbling fools, the both of them." He rolled his eyes, unamused by Vio's outburst. "What? You're being ridiculous, again. I AM you! My venom's just directed out instead of in. . . Or is it somehow better to be a self-prosecuted martyr than someone who thinks they don't deserve their fate? Hmph. I thought you were more practical than that." His stare, as though Vio was the most idiotic creature he'd ever seen, made his opinion on the matter clear.

"Can you fault me if I only did what I thought I had to? You know I couldn't have beaten him in a fight. Master Shadow cannot be defeated in his own domain." Vio whispered, spark of fire gone.

Dark Vio's sharp and birdlike stare remained fixed on Vio, burning holes in the top of his head. "I can. You have to protect yourself before you're any good to anyone else. You couldn't have defeated him with brute strength, no, but that's never been our style, has it?"

"Then what do you think I could have done?" Vio asked, voice breaking. "I thought that by not fighting him I was offering them all the protection I could, that protecting myself would jeopardize them. I know now that's incorrect, but how could I have taken the chance? I was injured and starved, my one ally bound to serve Shadow's word. What do you think I could have done? Please, tell me!"

"Make an offer he couldn't refuse," Dark said, his stare never wavering.

"What could I have offered him that he didn't already have?" Vio asked, weary. He so wanted to sleep. . .

Dark wasn't having any of that. He pulled Vio to his feet, keeping a firm grip on him and forcing him to walk. "I wasn't talking about Shadow." At Vio's uncomprehending stare, he elaborated. "Who wants Shadow to himself?"

Vio stumbled along beside his counterpart, his body refusing to cooperate with him. "I- I don't-"

"Belial! Farore, you're dense." Dark Vio groused, picking Vio up when he fell again. "Walk. You are NOT falling asleep on me, you hear me? It took me too long to track you down the first time, I don't want to chase you to another plane!"

Vio stumbled after him, Dark Vio's words not quite making sense to him. Another plane? Track him down? He shoved the thoughts aside for later. "What kind of offer could I have made Belial? If he had thought releasing me would help, he would have done it! Shadow would have only found us again, and been even angrier than before-"

"Excuses. Belial already wanted us gone. He's selfish, and we know how to manipulate selfish people, don't we? He could have hidden us somewhere Shadow wouldn't find us. He already has, not that you would know that, sleeping as you were. Lazy." Dark Vio's words were biting, and his logic was sound. Well, almost.

"There is nowhere we can hide! Not now that the mark is on my skin. Shadow can always find us, so long as it remains," Vio said, his pace slowing. He heard the sound of waves, and turning to glance behind him, saw that the well had become a lake, and its shores were creeping ever closer to them.

Dark Vio noticed too, and he hissed, pulling Vio along after him. Vio didn't know where they were going; all he could see was the same blackened grass and blistering light. Dark Vio changed their direction, veering left. "Boring. There are ways of fixing that. We can get rid of it."

"We can't," Vio whimpered. "We can never escape him. We're his-"

"Stop deluding yourself" Dark Vio snapped. "That body you're in? It's not his... it's MINE."

"I don't belong to you!"

Vio's response only served to irritate Dark Vio. "You ARE me! And I don't want to claim YOU! Just my body! It's mine! Then you stole it!"

"That doesn't make any sense!" Vio cried, confused and aching. Dark Vio glared and Vio flinched, cringing away while one hand clasped his mark, though its pain remained muted in this strange world. ". . . We are his. That can't be changed."

"Bull. Shit! You're my WEAKNESS!" Dark Vio snarled. "You're his. Don't lump me in with someone as pathetic as yourself. Once upon a time we were formidable... USEFUL. Now I'm locked away inside of a sniveling toy. You're pathetic."

Vio crumpled to the ground, exhausted, and defeated. The water, that comforting expanse of nothing, inched ever closer. Vio hoped it would catch him soon. "If I'm so useless and weak, and dying anyway, why are you here? Why not leave me to die, then take this body to do with as you will, as you have been implying? Are you just here to torment me for my failures?"

Dark Vio sighed and rolled his eyes, casting a glance towards the waves. They couldn't linger long; he wasn't entirely certain he would be able to find Vio again if the waters claimed them. "Because, I CAN'T. You're in control of the body, that's already weak... if you die, so will I. I'm more practical than that. Now get up."

Finding lifting his head to be too much effort, Vio mumbled into the prickly grass, "then take it from me. I don't want it."

Dark Vio growled in frustration, pressing his palms over his eyes. "You don't fucking get it, do you? I can't let you die because I NEED you!" Dark Vio dropped to his knees, grasping Vio's cold hand between his stronger ones. He sighed, measuring his words carefully. "You may be a fake, but every lie carries a grain of truth, you know that. You are a part of me. You are my temperance, to be specific. Without you, I can never be whole."

Slowly, ever so slowly, Vio looked from their clasped hands to Dark Vio's face. As far as he could tell, the other was being sincere. "I don't want to wake up again," he whispered. "It hurts too much."

Dark Vio's lips quirked. "Even if it does, we're masochists. We'll be fine."

Vio squawked, blushing brightly. "I am not!"

A sultry smirk spread over Dark Vio's lips, and he reached out to caress Vio's face. "Oh, you are, and I'll prove it to you.~ But not here. Come on." Dark Vio tugged Vio to his feet, but more gently this time. "I'm not letting you die, Temperance."

Vio continued to hesitate, looking back towards the water. Dark Vio sighed. "Temperance, please."

Looking back at him, Vio was struck for a moment by the depth of the gaze that met his. Behind the facade of calculation and ice there was pleading, and a burning desire to reclaim the life that had been denied them for so many months. It was a feeling that he'd forgotten. "I'm still not convinced. I'm so tired, tired of everything."

"It won't be as it was, Temperance, I promise you," Dark Vio said, and he was filled with such conviction that for a moment Vio remembered Green. He did miss him.

And if he died, he'd never see Green again.

Or any of the others.

And-

Wasn't the pain worth that price?

"All right, I'll help you," Vio whispered.

Dark Vio smiled, pleased. "Then we need to hurry. There's a tree up ahead that will lead us out of here, back to our subconscious. This way." Together, they left the water behind.

* * *

Though he wasn't due to start his shift watching over Vio for another two hours, Green found himself walking towards the medical ward before dawn anyway. He hadn't been able to sleep all night; as much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't sleep alone anymore. Sheik was a snuggler, and Green had grown used to sleeping wrapped up in his arms.

He never would have thought Sheik capable of something like this, abandoning their friend to whatever horror had befallen him. Zelda and the healers wouldn't tell him, but he could see the sort of state Vio's body was in. Wherever he'd been, he'd been tortured, horribly.

Why, why, why would Sheik know and not help Vio? Why? Green didn't understand it! He thought of the whispers, the disgusting rumors he heard murmured between the inhabitants of the castle. Try as they might, they hadn't been able to keep Vio's presence and condition a secret, and everyone had their own theory of how it had come about. But the worst, oh the worst, and the one that Green desperately didn't want to believe, though he couldn't think of a better explanation for Sheik's silence. . .

They whispered that Vio had come across information that the Sheikah didn't want known. It wasn't that hard to believe, really; Vio always managed to find things that no one else could. That he could find out some secret information wasn't too far-fetched. But the rumors whispered that the Sheikah had found out that Vio knew something, and wanted him kept silent. Hushed tones murmured that the Sheikah had carried Vio off in the night, away to some secret place where no one could find him. There, they tortured him, either to make him forget what he'd found, or to make him tell them.

It was sickening, repulsive, and revolting. Green didn't want to believe it, but what else could make Sheik keep his silence, other than some secret of his clan's? If it came to a choice between duty and his friends, Green was almost certain that Sheik would choose his duty every single time. That was what Sheikah did, after all, and-

Green stopped dead in the doorway of the medical ward. He stalked to Vio's bed, jaw clenched and hand hovering near his sword. His head turned this way and that, eyes and ears searching for the one he knew he'd seen for just a second.

"Don't hide from me, Sheik! I know you're here!" Green hissed, trying not to disturb the other patients. As always, Vio remained still and lifeless within his crystal prison.

Sheik dropped from his hiding place in the rafters, silent as always. "I'm here, Green," he called softly. Green turned, and for a moment he felt his heart ache, for Sheik had pulled his cowl up to cover his face. He hadn't done so in front of Green for months.

Green shook his head to stave off the guilt, fixing angry blue eyes on Sheik's sorrowful reds. "What are you doing here?" Green whispered harshly, resting a hand on the pommel of his sword. "I told you to stay away from him!"

The action did not go unnoticed by Sheik. He felt his heart break just a little more. "Green, please, he's my friend too. I just wanted to check on him."

"If he's your friend, then why didn't you help him?!" Green demanded, his voice growing steadily louder. "Why didn't you tell us where he was? Or are the rumors true?"

By the stricken look in his eyes, Green could tell that Sheik knew exactly which rumors he was referring to. "What? Green, no! Of course not!" Sheik stepped back, hurt. "How could you think that?"

"What am I supposed to think?" Green asked, sounding bitter and angry. "Friends don't leave friends in a place where things like- things like THAT happen." He gestured to Vio, so still and bruised and dead-looking.

Sheik glanced at Vio, aware of what Green was not; Vio WAS getting better, slowly, but surely. Lord Iblis had vanished from his bedside sometime in the late hours of the night, a small smile on his lips and his expressive eyes bright and happy, looking quite pleased to be leaving without the Hero. But Green was right. Every day the guilt of leaving Vio behind plagued him, even though in the end Vio's words proved true. Shadow had sent him away. . .

"Do you think I wanted to leave him, Green? I-"

"Leave him WHERE?! That's what's so damn FRUSTRATING, Sheik! You won't even tell me where he was!" Green's voice rose to a shout, and one of the other patients in the ward cried out in alarm, startled from sleep.

One of the healers, a stern-faced woman who had always terrified Sheik when he was child, stomped over to them, pointing one gloved finger towards the door. "I've had enough of your lovers' quarreling! OUT!" she barked.

Cowed, Green and Sheik scurried from the room. Green ran back towards their- his- room, probably to find Blue or Red and ask one of them to take his place. Sheik watched him go, heart aching, but he didn't know what he could possibly say to make it any better.

"I love you. . ."

* * *

They saw him.

They all saw him.

Though Ghirahim had spared Shadow the embarrassment of letting others see him getting beaten, he had no reservations about dragging him from the throne room, collar and all, in front of his minions. A snap of Ghirahim's fingers gathered the entire assembly of Shadow's servants on the lawn of the castle, with Shadow on his knees at Ghirahim's feet. The Demon Lord said not a word to any of them; over the centuries he'd learned that imagination was a powerful thing, and letting the people concoct their own stories would do more damage to Shadowed Sky Child's reputation than his words ever could.

He kicked Shadow to the ground, and started down the palace steps. The servants parted, Hinox and Hylian shadow alike watching with wide, disbelieving eyes as the Hero's Shadow, their Lord, was lead from his own castle in disgrace. All those in his domain would see him, before Ghirahim deemed it time to leave.

Ubel watched from the window of his medical ward, eyeing the visible marks on Shadow's skin. He sighed, fetching a roll of parchment and a quill. Belial was not going to be happy, nor was his employer.

_Well, _he thought, _at least the children are safe._

* * *

Thank you to the Chapter Two reviewers (So many! You make me so happy!):

**Guest **(I really, really hate this new guest nonsense..): Heh. Ghirahim was Shadow's Master long before Shadow was Vio's. Who's to say he's ever not been a pet?

**XoXLink**: Yep, now you see where Shadow gets it~

**DarkVioletShadows**: But messing with your mind is fuuuuuun~

**KitKatBarStory**: I love your reviews and the thought you put into them~ As for the response, I sent you a pm... (and you make me sad when you don't answer. *sadface *)

**saphire jewel jakson**: *zips lips *

**Aeterni7as**: You got a pm~ And I hope this chapter finds you having a better day!

**SaphireWhiteWolf**: I love working in random stuff from the game~ (though the line was of Kuro-chan's making!) Not much Ghirahim and Shadow in this chapter, but next chapter there will be!

**Moon13Dreams**: Not that ironic. Demise is Ghirahim's Master, and by extension Shadow's. Fasalina is difficult. Gah, so difficult. But I'm glad you're enjoying Ghirahim and Shadow! More of them next chapter.~

**ExquisiteInsanity**

**Fourswordslover**:Yep, that's what a lot of these first few chapters will be, exposing the kinds of things Shadow grew up with, just like a lot of Traitor was flashbacks to how things got to where they were. Glad you're enjoying it!

**LeaStar**: Green is being an epic dick here, but he's hurt and confused and doesn't know what to do. . . Oh Shadow~ The worst is yet to come.

**TheMysticalQ**: Yes, everyone will. The way things are going there might even be two lemons next chapter. *smirk * There was going to be one this chapter, but I decided to go ahead and get this up.

**BrightGreenLights**: You haven't seen anything, yet...

**Italy**: Oh dear. I suppose you enjoyed Dark Vio, then? *laughs *


	4. The Madness of Lord Ghirahim

Chapter Four

This part of Vio's dream was vaguely inspired by lumi-nee's "Mind library" on dA. How I loooove the related pictures thingy on the side~ I find such awesome stuff! Also more of Kuro-chan's help! ALL HAIL KURO-CHAN! *bow *

WARNING: The second part is rather gory.

* * *

Passing through the tree felt like passing through shadows, but it didn't burn and tear at him like they did. The portal dropped them in a magnificent library, filled with hundreds upon hundreds of books stacked high on sturdy oak shelves. Though the room wasn't well-lit, as to have pity on Vio's shadow-adjusted eyes, there were lanterns everywhere just bright enough to read by. Vio's jaw dropped as he stared around the space.

"What? It's our mind," Dark said from behind him, amusement dancing in his tone. "Of course it's a library."

Vio and Dark strolled through the stacks until they reached a study area with a crackling fire, an oak desk to match the shelves, and a large, winged, throne-like chair. Dark flopped onto it with a happy sigh, grabbing Vio and tugging him down into his lap. "There, now, isn't that comfortable?~" He clapped his hands together. "To plotting!"

"Plotting?" Vio asked, bemused.

"Planning! Figuring out what we're doing! How we're going to fix this!" Dark said. He waved at their surroundings. Vio looked, but he saw nothing out of place.

"I don't understand, Dark?" Vio said slowly.

Dark huffed, crossing his arms. "We can't stay in our mind forever, Temperance! We have to wake up! Take our life back!"

Vio faltered then, lifting a hand to place it over his mark. Thoughts and fears whirled through his mind, too quickly to capture most of them with words. ". . . I don't know if I can. Even if I do wake up, the situation won't improve. I'll still have the mark, and the emptiness...it's like it's tearing my heart from my ribcage...I can't stand it!" His voice rose to a shout and he doubled over, fighting the tears.

A warm hand placed itself over his back, fingers splayed over the raised skin of the hypercandle burns. Dark felt Vio's quick, choked breaths under his hand as he thought, turning Vio's words over in his mind. By now, he knew better than to expect total cooperation from his Temperance so easily. Vio was hurt and confused; there was a lot of damage that he, Dark, would have to undo, and insecurities to overcome. It would take time, but he knew he could talk Vio back to his way of thinking again. He'd done it before.

"So give it to me," Dark said.

Vio sniffled, staring at his lap. "Give you what?"

"The pain. I'll put it to better use than you, anyway," Dark answered calmly, fingers tracing over the burns. _ Property of. . . _

A snort of laughter escaped Vio's lips. "Broken, weakened bones, damaged nerves, malnutrition, and this on top of all of it...What would you do with such things?" Vio asked.

Dark shifted, gripping Vio's chin and forcing their eyes to meet. He wanted, needed Vio to see the burning intensity and drive that he had forgotten they had. Vio needed to see that they would, could make it out of this. "Use them." he said.

Unable to hold Dark's gaze, Vio dropped his eyes to his lap again. His voice came out as nothing more than a whisper. "They'll drive you mad..."

Dark chuckled. "Oh, Vio, you're talking to yourself. Don't you get it? We're already mad."

The absurd correctness of the statement drew another laugh from Vio. "I suppose we are."

They lapsed into silence for a moment, each staring into the flames and thinking. After a time, Vio stood to investigate the shelves. Every book he'd ever read was there, from philosophy to science to swordsmanship to, well,_ those_ sorts of books.

But in the back, he found a row of books he'd never seen before. Reaching out to run his fingers along their spines, he understood why. They were his memories, committed to the pages so that they would not be forgotten. He pulled one from the shelf and stood there, reading descriptions of past battles, of the quick work his sword made of his enemies. He clutched the book to his chest and closed his eyes; he knew it would never contain another chapter.

Another pair of hands removed the book from his gasp and shelved it again. "Temperance. . ."

"I'm weak, Dark. Pathetic and useless. Why do you insist on saving me?" Vio asked, head bowed and shoulders slumped.

"Your memory's gone to shit, hasn't it? I told you, I need you." Dark grumped. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a psychopath. You're my temperance."

Vio snorted. "A psychopath who wants to stay under control, hm? That's a new one."

A roll of blue eyes, and Dark whapped him over the head with another book, drawing a whine from him. "We're supposed to be a hero, genius. Now get your shit together. Even I know me out with nothing to water me down is a bad idea."

"But what will we do, when we wake?" Vio asked, rubbing his head. "You heard Ubel, didn't you? Our body can never use a sword again. What use am I?"

"Swords are weak to pens. You have a use," Dark replied matter-of-factly.

"What about the spell, then? And the mark?" Vio asked.

"You break it. You don't belong to anyone but yourself. You need to remember that. You beat Gufuu, so... it shouldn't be too hard." Dark said, smirking and turning back to the bookshelves.

"But, I needed Master Shadow for that. It wouldn't have been possible without him-"

Dark cut him off, irritated. "Or Red, or Blue, or Green. You're examining one part with greater intensity than the others, like it would have been possible if you had been missing ANY of them. And yet, you don't think you belong to the others, even though they could, theoretically, lay the most claim. You bonded with Shadow. If anyone belongs to anyone, he is more yours than you are his."

Though he couldn't argue with what Dark had said regarding the others being necessary, Vio couldn't help but latch onto the details of the mark. "Then why am I marked, and he isn't?"

Dark heaved a sigh. He was trying to be patient. He really, really was. "Because it's all in your head. You perceive him as being greater, so, he's greater, but he's not really this great thing that you make him out to be... your vision is skewed. He's a child in a tantrum."

Vio thought of Shadow's irrational behavior, his 'no, MINE!' tendencies, his tests, and his habit of lashing out and screaming whenever anyone displeased him. Yes, Vio decided. Shadow very much resembled the children screaming for treats in the market square. A child who, perhaps, had been unfairly taunted with treats before, and-

Another whack snapped Vio from his thoughts, and he yelped, glaring at Dark. "Don't go following that carriage of thought again, Temperance. It's all in your head. Break the illusion. Hunt down every flaw in your image of him, focus on it, watch the whole fall apart. The devil is in the details..."

Break the illusion. . .

Vio let his eyes drift shut, trying to call an image of Shadow to his mind. Either he tried a little too hard, or he forgot that they were in his mind already, because a moment later hands seized him and threw him into the bookshelf, knocking his memories to the floor. Vio's eyes flew open and his breath left him in a whoosh as he fell to his knees.

Shadow's cold, angry eyes glared down at him. "You think you're better than me, you little slut?" he hissed, grasping Vio by the throat and hauling him to his feet. Vio choked and Shadow grinned, slamming him against the bookshelves again. "You are nothing but what I let you be. You're my fucking toy and nothing more, got it?!"

Dark watched the proceedings with a calculating expression, canting his head to the side as he took in every detail of this projection of what Vio thought Shadow was. However, he made no move to aid Vio with anything but his words. "Temperance, we're the original, right? . . How can the shadow be anything but a ghost of us?"

"I am the original," Vio murmured, staring into Shadow's red eyes.

Shadow sneered and threw Vio to the floor, kicking him hard. Vio cried out and curled up to protect himself, but Shadow only laughed at him, plucking books from the shelves. They were memories, all of them, of his father, Green, Red, Blue, Sheik, and Zelda. Shadow threw them at him, their sharp corners smacking his head and flat covers thumping against his ribs. "There's four of you. Three of you are obviously fake. A worthless shit like you isn't an original of anything!"

Well, THAT irritated Dark. He still didn't move to Vio's assistance, but he did tell Shadow off, in the classic Vio way that usually meant people had to think for a minute before they even realized they'd been insulted. "Just because something isn't the whole doesn't make it a fake. If anyone is the fake, it's the one who stares back from the mirror, or lies cowering in the dark."

It didn't take Shadow quite as long as Blue, but he threw the last two books in his hands on top of Vio and rounded on Dark, snarling. "So that makes me less of a person? That's like a Zora claiming you ain't a person because you can't breathe under water, dipshit!"

Unimpressed, Dark yawned and proceeded to clean his ear with his finger. "To them I'm probably not. You know how self-important Zora can be." He flicked the wax at Shadow, who grimaced in disgust and brushed it off his tunic. "Anyway, what matters is the perception, isn't it? Just like, between your anger, your accent, and your current vocabulary, I perceive you to be. . . uneducated, at best."

Shadow snarled and grabbed another book, hurling it at Dark who side-stepped it calmly. "Fuck off, asshole!" He kicked at Vio again, smirking when Vio only whimpered, but didn't try to resist. "I killed him once, and I'll do it again until he fucking STAYS dead!"

Shadow cackled, nudging Vio onto his back and pinning him under his boot, pressing harder and harder until Vio gasped for breath. "Maybe I'll just rape him to death. Wouldn't that be fun? How many dicks do ya think I could fit in that loose ass of yours before ya break, Vio? Hm?~"

Vio whimpered, grasping weakly at the foot and trying to push it off so he could breathe. Shadow laughed at him and pressed harder, grinding his heel against Vio's ribs.

"Please. So crass," Dark drawled with a very obvious, very fake yawn. "Don't you have anything better to do. . . ? Like lick your wounds? You're desperate. Co-dependent. Your life, pathetic as it is, revolves around us. Our pain. Our subservience. . . Or are you trying to hide that from us?" Deep blue eyes burned into Shadow's skull, judging him.

Almost as much as he hated to be dismissed, Shadow hated to be judged. "What? Don't be so full or yourself, asshole! It does not! I'm doin' plenty on my own, ya fucker!"

"Mmm? Like what?" Dark asked, brow arched.

Shadow stomped over to Dark, grabbing the front of his tunic. "Got my own fuckin' domain to run, don't I? And Belial! He means more to me than you ever did."

Dark grimaced and pried Shadow's fingers loose, brushing off his tunic as though he'd come into contact with something distasteful. He kept his voice calm, in contrast to Shadow's anger. "No. Because if he did, you wouldn't still keep us, would you?"

"I can have a lover and a fuck-slave if I want to!" Shadow snapped. "It's all you're good for, anyway!"

Dark went on as though he hadn't been interrupted. "And what is that domain for, really?. . . It's to prove something, isn't it...? That you're not worthless. Not a failure. Not all the things you hiss that we are. Those wouldn't be insults if they weren't what you hated most, weren't what you were afraid of becoming. All humans are alike. Why shouldn't their shades be? You're pathetic, same as you ever were."

"What?! How dare you! My domain has NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!" Shadow screamed. He summoned his sword and swung it at Dark, who dodged with ease and laughed when it struck a bookshelf, and Shadow couldn't get it free.

"Prove it," Dark taunted. "Any of it, all of it."

Shadow banished the blade and rounded on Dark, attempting to intimidate him. Dark stood his ground and held his gaze, arms crossed and brow arched while Shadow spewed the poison that made Vio wilt like a Dark World plant under the Hylian sun. "The other lords fear me. They bow at my feet, and laugh when I fuck you in front of them," Shadow said.

Dark shook his head. "And yet that's not enough for you. It's never enough, is it? What is it that's so empty about you, or about us, to make you that...?"

But Shadow wasn't listening. "Do you remember Dark Zelda's face, and how she enjoyed watching me torment and fuck you? Weren't you the one to say I got it from you? Where the fuck do you think she got it from? I bet your Zelda would fuckin' love to watch you get what you deserve!"

Dark blinked, then sighed heavily, as though Shadow were a particularly dense and disappointing pupil. "Zelda would never. She would rip you apart like tissue. I don't know what influences Dark Zelda... All I know is you. And you, Shadow, are nothing but fifty shades of worthless. . ."

Screaming in fury, Shadow called to his hands two blades this time. Holding one in each hand he charged Dark, intending to cut him down no matter which way he tried to dodge. Dark did nothing but hold out a single finger and swipe it through the air. The blades disintegrated, nothing but fragile graphite before sweeping rubber. "You have no power here," Dark said coldly. "None but what I give you."

Shadow stared from his now-empty hands to Dark in confusion, before his face twisted into an ugly scowl. "You- you! FUCK YOU!" He stomped over to the cowering Vio, yanking him up by the hair and grabbing his face to force a kiss on him.

"See Temperance, this is what he's really like." Dark said, amused by Shadow's temper. "Throw up a wall and block him out, he goes in the back door, like a coward. Are you going to be his weak link, Temperance?"

Shadow broke the kiss, laughing at Dark. "Oh, I'll go in his back door all right. Ya gonna stop me?" he taunted, throwing Vio down on a bed that hadn't been there a moment ago. He clambered atop Vio, pinned his wrists, and groped him hard, cackling when Vio jerked and whimpered under his grasp.

"I don't have to, he will," Dark answered calmly, gesturing to Vio.

"This little weakling?" Shadow glanced down at his broken light, laying supine and staring at the ceiling with tears in his eyes. He hadn't spoken in some time; if they weren't already in his mind, he would have surely retreated there. Shadow grinned and placed a hand on Vio's hip, trailing his fingers down until he could grasp and squeeze Vio's behind. "Look at him, he loves it!"

Vio let out a broken whimper as Shadow continued his molestations. Vio squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip, but didn't fight or push Shadow away. Dark frowned, displeased. This wasn't the behavior he'd been hoping for. "No, he doesn't. And he won't put up with you for much longer. What do you have to offer?"

Snorting, Shadow yanked Vio's tunic up, raking his nails across Vio's chest with every sentence, grinning as Vio cried and squirmed. "I don't gotta offer him shit. He doesn't deserve it! He doesn't deserve anything more than my cock in him! He's lucky I let him cum at all!" Shadow laughed, gripping Vio's chin and tracing red lips with the pad of his thumb before directing his attention back to Dark. "Have you tried his mouth? Here, why don't you join us?~"

_Why isn't he fighting? _ Dark wondered, lips pulled tight in consternation. _ I thought we made SOME progress. . . _"If I join, it will be to kick you in the face, myself," Dark said flatly.

"Your loss," Shadow said with a shrug. He sat back and dragged Vio with him, exposing himself and shoving Vio's face into his groin. "Suck," he ordered.

Vio shot Dark a helpless look, but obeyed, taking Shadow's length into his mouth and sucking it. Shadow groaned and yanked him closer, thrusting more of it into his mouth and making him choke.

_Dammit! _Dark sighed and shut his eyes. "Shadow, get out of here if you're not going to be helpful. Temperance, stop that whimpering; he's not real." If Vio heard him he didn't answer, except for a lowering of his ears. Shadow certainly FELT real. . .

Shadow grinned wickedly, settling back against the wall and pushing Vio's head down, forcing him to deep throat. "I'm proving a point. He's a lost fucking cause. He -mm - He ain't good for anything BUT this, anymore!"

"Temperance. . ." Dark sighed in disappointment, approaching them. "Vio, am I real?" he asked, his voice calm and level.

Swallowing thickly, Vio pulled back for a moment to answer. ". . . Yes." he whispered. Shadow smacked him for stopping, shoving him onto his back again and pinning him down, tearing Vio's tights and tossing them aside.

"Is Shadow real?" Dark asked, tone unchanged.

Vio looked up at the hate-filled red eyes that loomed over him, felt the hand that clasped his wrists above his head and the other forcing his unresisting legs to spread. He felt the dry heat pressing against his entrance, ready to tear him open yet again. ". . . No."

And like that, Shadow was gone.

Vio flopped back, his breath coming in ragged gasps, and tears dripping down his face. "I can't even fight him in my own mind!"

Dark reached out to him, wiping Vio's tears away with surprising gentleness. "Just reach out and push, Vio. It's a start."

". . . But he's so much more powerful than me. . ." Vio whispered, broken gaze meeting Dark's empathic look.

"Only if you let him be. All you have to do is push. Just push, Temperance."

Vio took a shaky breath to steel his nerves, and closed his eyes. A hand clasped around his throat and pressed him back, another hiking his leg up over Shadow's shoulder. His eyes flew open to look at Shadow again and he froze, unable to fight.

Dark peered down at him over Shadow's shoulder, looking concerned. He held out his hand and Vio seized it, clinging to it like a lifeline. Shadow thrust inside and a pain whine escaped from Vio's lips.

Shadow laughed. "See! Nothing but a useless fucking WHORE, whimpering like a needy little slut!"

Vio clutched Dark's hand tighter, his other hand lashing out to press against Shadow's chest. "Stop. Stop it!" he said, first craven, and then more forcefully. Shadow only laughed at him, thrusting deeper.

"Weak!" he taunted.

Dark gave Vio's hand a reassuring squeeze. "He's a liar, Temperance," Dark said.

"You like everything I'm doing to you, and that's why you won't fight me," Shadow said smugly. He stopped to reposition Vio's legs, the new angle allowing him to press deeper than before. "Tell me you like it, tell me to fuck you harder!" he ordered, tightening his grip on Vio's throat, and relishing in his choked cries. Vio tried again to push him away, but Shadow smacked his hand and backhanded him. "Say it, slut!"

"Temperance. . ." Dark called to him softly, never letting go of Vio's hand. Vio looked back to him, reading the reassurances, the promises in Dark's eyes, those eyes that were his own, and yet were not.

"No," Vio croaked. Dark smiled a gentle smile and tugged on Vio's hand, urging him on.

Shadow, however, was having none of this. He leaned in closer, biting Vio's ear hard enough to draw blood. "What'cha gonna do to stop me? That guy over there? He isn't real. I'm real. And I'm gonna fuckin' torture you until you die for everything you're done to me!" Shadow screamed, slamming into Vio hard enough to make the bed smack the wall, knocking a few books off the nearby shelves.

"Y-You're not real!" Vio shouted, nearly jerking his hand free of Dark's grasp. "You're not, and I.. I won't let you control me!" He screamed as he threw his upper body against Shadow, throwing every ounce of strength he had behind the maneuver.

Laughing, Shadow fell back, separating their bodies. A wide grin stretched across his face, even as his image faded from this sanctuary of Vio's mind. "You're still mine, Vio. You still love me...and I love you."

Vio fell against Dark and grasped at his tunic, panting and shaking. Dark held him, running his fingers through Vio's hair in a soothing gesture. "You did well, Temperance. It's only a starting point, but you did well."

* * *

"_Worthless Shadow."_

"_Hero's trash." _

"_Useless." _

The all-too familiar insults echoed in his ears, those that no being had dared to say to his face for nearly two years. His Master allowed it, encouraged it even, by chaining Shadow's wrists together and leashing his collar to the outside of his magnificent carriage, and forcing him to walk during the entire journey through the Demon Lands to Ghirahim's castle.

Shadow was strong, but not indefatigable. By the time they reached Ghirahim's castle his legs were shaking, and his belly rumbled for food. Ghirahim, however, gave Shadow no opportunity to rest.

"I will have my revenge, Shadowed Sky Child, whether from the Sky Child's body. . . or yours." Ghirahim seized Shadow by the back of his now-tattered tunic and they vanished in a sparkle of diamonds.

_Oh, no. . . _They reappeared in one of the rooms that Shadow had grown to fear, a round room of blue and gray, trimmed with gold and with a golden sun set into the floor. It was a recreation of the first place that Ghirahim had fought the Sky Child, the one who angered him so.

"Change," Ghirahim ordered. The command was simple, but familiar, and it filled Shadow with dread. The bone white of his hair bled to blond, his tunic bleached green, and his pale skin acquired something that resembled a healthy glow. His red eyes blinked and opened blue. His sword and shield shifted, becoming cheap imitations of weapons he'd never seen before. He kept his head bowed and his ears lowered, his bound hands hanging limply in front of him.

"Hm," Ghirahim scoffed, strolling around him in a slow circle. "You're always trying to hide from me, Sky Child. Do you know how that makes me feel inside?" He face twisted into an ugly snarl. "FURIOUS! OUTRAGED! SICK WITH ANGER!"

He vanished and Shadow flinched, looking here and there although he knew he wouldn't see his Master. Still, he could hear him. "This turn of events has left me with a strong appetite for bloodshed." Shadow felt hands on his shoulders and stiffened, his heart rate picking up speed. Ghirahim chuckled, trailing his hands across Shadow's chest. "Oh, Sky Child~ I've waited far too long for this!"

Ghirahim snapped his fingers and a chain shot down from the ceiling, wrapped around Shadow's arms, and yanked them above his head. Shadow cried out as his feet left the floor, the force of it nearly ripping his arms from his sockets. He kicked, and just managed to reach the floor with the tip of his toes, taking some of the pressure off his aching wrists.

A snap of fingers and Ghirahim summoned a black dagger to his hand. He stepped closer to Shadow, dragging the obsidian blade down the front of his tunic, slicing it and drawing a thin line of too-red blood. Shadow whimpered and Ghirahim laughed, leaning in to lick a long line from Shadow's navel to his throat. Pulling back, he grabbed hold of the green fabric and tore it away. He scowled then, clenching his fist and burying his sharp nail in Shadow's side, making him cry out.

"You forgot the chain mail, Shadowed Sky Child," Ghirahim informed him, tone flat and irritated. He pouted like a petulant child whose treat was red instead of his favorite green.

"I-I'm sorry, Master!" Shadow stammered. Ghirahim backhanded him and Shadow fell silent.

Ghirahim sniffed in distaste. "Disappointment," he said. He reached around to the sheath strapped to Shadow's back and drew the sword, studying it. "A poor imitation, just like you, Shadowed Sky Child," he said, swinging it carelessly and leaving a long cut on the outside of Shadow's thigh. Shadow hissed, and Ghirahim huffed, grabbing the fabric and tearing it away.

He strolled around Shadow's exposed form, licking the blade like a lollipop, and slicing Shadow again whenever its sweet syrup ran dry. Shadow never knew when the strikes were coming; his grunts grew to soft cries as the blade sliced into stomach, his back, and his thighs, his lifeblood dripping down his skin. He heard a clatter, and knew Ghirahim had tossed the sword aside. He dreaded what would come next.

A snap of fingers and an intricate blue and gold chest appeared on the floor. Ghirahim knelt to sift through it and Shadow swallowed thickly. Shadow knew where this was going. His lord had painstakingly recreated every item the Sky Child had ever used against him, and he used them all in his revenge when he forced Shadow to take the ancient hero's shape. What else would his lord use this time, besides the sword? The whip that glowed? The bug net? The bellows? Goddesses forbid- the clawshots?

Metal clacked against metal and Ghirahim held up his choice for Shadow to see, reveling in the growing horror and fear filling Shadow's eyes. Ghirahim flicked the beetle's mechanism again, lips quirking as the metal jaws spread wide. He vanished again, reappearing just behind Shadow with their bodies barely brushing.

"Let's see how far you can stretch before I rip you in half, shall we, Sky Child?" Ghirahim purred, lapping his tongue sensuously over Shadow's ear before biting it hard enough to draw blood. He didn't bother with lube, pressing the cold metal of the beetle against Shadow's entrance and slowly forcing it inside.

Shadow whimpered at the intrusion, gasping out pleas for mercy as Ghirahim pushed the beetle's hook inside of him. He squirmed and tugged uselessly on his chains, tears leaking down his face as the metal filled him, cold as ice.

"Oh look, it still fits," Ghirahim crooned. "You're not as loose as you used to be, Shadowed Sky Child. I see you've heeded my warning and not let another take you. Good. Let's see how you tolerate this.~" Ghirahim triggered the mechanism, and the grasping hook opened too abruptly, wrenching a scream from Shadow's throat. He swore he felt something tear, and goddesses how it HURT! Ghirahim chuckled, stepping away to admire the sight of Shadow crying and writhing in pain.

"Please, Master! Take it out, please!" Shadow begged. "Master, I'm sorry!"

"No, Shadowed Sky Child. You deserve it. You're worthless. I can't even trust you to fulfill the one request I specifically gave you." He crossed his arms and tossed his hair out of his face. "That chain is for the new Sky Child. You would not bring him to me, so now it's for you. You will pay for your crimes in blood, Shadowed Sky Child." With that, he grabbed hold of the beetle and twisted.

Shadow screamed and kicked wildly, feeling as though he were being torn apart from the inside out. Ghirahim laughed and yanked the beetle partway out before shoving it in again and again, triggering the mechanism so that it slid a little deeper each time, slicked with blood. Snarling, Ghirahim buried it inside of Shadow's body until his gloved fingers vanished up to the second knuckle and he lost his grip.

Chuckling, Ghirahim withdrew his fingers and stepped back, watching Shadow squirm and cry in pain. "My, my, Sky Child. I seem to have lost your toy. I suppose I'll have to. . . cut it out." His boots clicked on the floor as he stepped around to Shadow's front, snapping his fingers to summon one of his daggers to his hand. A cruel smile played across his lips as he plunged the blade into Shadow's abdomen, cutting through layers of muscle, soft tissue, and organs as easily as warm butter.

Shadow choked on his scream, coughing up mouthfuls of blood as Ghirahim pawed through his insides, ripping apart membranes and slicing spurting blood vessels, heedless of the new red stains on his clothing. Humming a little as he found the torn, bulging section of intestine containing the beetle, Ghirahim cut it open, retrieving the bloodied item. "Oh my, you've gotten it very dirty, Sky Child. Better clean it off," Ghirahim crooned, shoving the beetle-shaped end into Shadow's mouth. Shadow groaned in pain and disgust, but Ghirahim wouldn't let him spit it out.

"Those blue eyes dulled with pain are such a lovely sight, Sky Child, even if you are making a horrible mess. And look at that, your body is already trying to heal," Ghirahim said, shoulders shaking as he laughed. Before his eyes Shadow's entrails were trying to reposition themselves to their proper places, and stitch themselves back together. "Such a loathsome little gadfly. What will it take to kill you, I wonder?"

Humming thoughtfully, Ghirahim strolled back to the chest. He rummaged around with his bloody gloves, searching, searching, until. . . ah. He stood, holding one of the clawshots in hand. Shadow's muffled pleas fell on deaf ears as Ghirahim aimed it at Shadow's stomach and fired, the claw grabbing hold of Shadow's innards. Bracing himself, Ghirahim pressed the release and the chain snapped back. The beetle fell from Shadow's mouth and he shrieked as the clawshot tore his liver free from its place, ligaments stretching until they snapped and blood vessels spurting their contents into the open air. The organ hit the floor and bounced, leaving a bloody trail all the way to Ghirahim's feet. Ghirahim sneered and stomped on it, the soft tissue caving way under his foot like a water-filled sponge.

Shadow hung listless, a growing pool of blackening blood forming on the floor around him. His body tried to heal itself, but the damage was extensive, and he struggled to keep up. Ghirahim picked up the imitation Master Sword from where he'd thrown it, twirling it leisurely between his fingers as he strolled over to where Shadow hung. The illusion of the Sky Child had faded; Shadow didn't have the strength to maintain it. His hair hung limp and gray-black, his eyes a strange purple, halfway between blue and red.

Pausing, Ghirahim frowned, his eyes narrowing. He placed the flat of the blade against Shadow's chest and slid it slowly upwards to press against his neck. For a moment, he held it there, brown eyes staring as purple deepened to red. But in that moment, he didn't see the pleading, subservient red of his usually-obedient slave. No, instead he saw a mocking, brighter red, and in his mind he felt a hand that was not his Master's closing over his hilt, daring to use its power to wield him. A hand that did not understand or care who he was, a hand that didn't even know the name of the rightful Demon King.

A white-hot explosion of anger filled him, and Ghirahim let it consume him, roaring in fury as he swung the blade at Shadow's neck. "DIE, KNIL!"

Shadow's head hit the floor and Ghirahim kicked it into one of the pots around the perimeter of the room so he didn't have to look at those damnable eyes anymore. The sword in his hand disintegrated to nothing, and upon looking back to Shadow's hanging body, Ghirahim saw that it too was dissolving into something like smoke and mist.

It didn't matter. He wouldn't stay dead for long.

* * *

Thank you to the Chapter Three reviewers:

**KitKatBarStory**: Your reviews make me happy.~ So long and detailed! Can't wait to see what you think of Ghirahim!

**DarkLinkLovesLink**: Sorry no adorable Sheik and Green this time! Maybe next chapter, since Shadow's. . . well. . .

**DarkVioletShadows**: I saw~ Thank you!

**Fourswordslover**: Can't say can't say~ But the speculation entertains me.

**BrightGreenLights**: *Stares at. Giggle *

**Moon13Dreams:** There's a bonus dungeon of sorts with dark reflections of the four heroes, that's where Kuro-chan said she got the idea for a Dark Vio.

**TheAnnoyingVoice**: Thank you so much for your amazing review! I see your reply and will reply eventually...

**Italy**: So mean, Hetalia~ Aw, why hate Dark Vio? Poor Dark Vio. And poor Belial! Still getting so much hate. *sniff *

**Aeterni7as**: You'll get a pm in a bit... But I hope this one catches you on a good day! Or makes a bad day better!


	5. Green With Stupidity?

Chapter Five

*Cue flailing * OMG how did I go for so long without writing anything?! Probably because my muses are DICKS and never want to give me ideas unless I'm busy, so the inspiration just hasn't been there. BUT! I have not met with a terrible fate. Promise!

And I'm a horrible, awful person who fails at being a penpal. I'M SORRY! And it's only going to get worse, because I START MEDICAL SCHOOL THIS WEEK! AAAAAHHHHH! *falls over *

Have I said this yet? If not, everything written in parentheses is NOT an author's notes. It's more like a character aside. It's just my writing style (I'm weird, hush).

Also, ALL HAIL KURO-CHAN! And as a reminder, none of these OCs are mine. I borrowed them from her. If you're curious about them, go check out her dA page!

* * *

_Lord Ghirahim has reclaimed possession of the Schwarz Province. The Shadow Caster of the one who calls himself Sheik has begun Operation Distract the Lobcock. Stage One: Hide Lady Fausalina's Clown Paint, has been successfully completed. She has yet to locate her most valued items. Stage Two is proceeding on schedule. Thus far, three effigies have burned; one of green hay in Schwarz, one comprised of makeup presumably stolen from Lord Ghirahim himself on a major road between Schwarz and the Demon Lands, and one made of canine feces on Lord Ghirahim's lawn._

_The Demon Heine has proved invaluable since his return; in addition to locating the best hiding spots, he is currently mustering together those who remain loyal to Lord Shadow, to prepare for an eventual attack. His tactical mind is impressive; even you would be pleased, your assholishness. Despite his concern for Lord Shadow, he understands his primary order: protect the domain, so that when this is over the hidden children still have a place to return to. _

_These actions and others have thus far successfully distracted Lady Fausalina and Lord Ghirahim, and so delayed the imminent destruction of the new developments put in place by Lord Shadow. I fear, however, that it is only a matter of time- _

A tortured scream caused Ubel's quill hand to jerk, leaving a blotch of ink across the words. He dropped the quill and ran for the door, grabbing his medical bag on the way. Vaati lay twitching in the hallway, a spilled bucket of water at his side. Another scream tore from the magician's lungs, and Ubel picked up his pace, dropping to his knees at Vaati's side.

Vaati didn't respond, eyes wide and staring at nothing while his muscles spasmed violently. Ubel moved the bucket and a nearby table so Vaati wouldn't hurt himself, and knelt next to the Minish, opening his bag to reach for a bottle of potion and his stethoscope. Vaati shot up, grabbing hold of the collar of Ubel's shirt.

"**The contract!" **And Vaati flopped back like a deflated balloon, heart and breathing slowing to near-nothing.

"Is the rat mage dead?" a Hinox nearby grunted, having witnessed the entire exchange. He didn't ask about Shadow. Shadow had died before and would again. He'd be back.

"No," Ubel answered, after listening to Vaati's heart. "Not exactly. As a contract-bound being connected to a Hylian shadow-"

"Shadow is dead, then?" Belial asked, his tone carefully neutral and expression unreadable.

A lesser being might have jumped, but Ubel was no such thing, and had dealt with Belial for too long to be startled by his sudden appearances (the Shadow Caster had been spying from the rafters for the last hour, anyway). Instead, Ubel stood with Vaati in his arms.

"In my professional opinion, it's highly likely. But he will regenerate, as shadows do. I believe that we should be able to judge Lord Shadow's state based on Vaati's. I'll keep an eye on him." Ubel replied, heading back the way he came.

Belial did not follow immediately. His face twisted into an ugly scowl and his fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.

Ghirahim would pay. Goddesses above and god below, he would pay.

After achieving the appearance of outward calm, Belial joined Ubel in his office. Ubel gestured towards the folded bit of parchment and Belial swiped the completed note from Ubel's desk, pocketing it without reading it. It wasn't meant for him, anyway, but for certain necessary parties in another land. Biding a terse good-bye, Belial left through a light portal to a place which was neither the Dark World, nor Hyrule.

The borderlands were a rugged, inhospitable place of jagged cliffs and long twilights, populated by nightmare birds and not-quite-spirit creatures. From it one could enter most any realm: Hyrule, the Dark World, Hell itself, and the secret places of the Sheikah which as yet remained unknown to the majority of Hyrule. Few Hylians ever set foot there, and even fewer emerged alive and intact. To survive, a Hylian must both pass the guardians' test, and learn to listen as a Sheikah sees. Those who could not learn swiftly found their deaths.

The guardians, as they came to be called, resided near a certain spring located on the Lesser Sablestone Mountain. The many eerily glowing lanterns surrounding the rocks of the spring and shimmering waterfall gave the guardians' home its name, the Lantern House. It was said that those who listened too closely would hear the screams of the tormented, those souls too evil for even Hell to take, condemned to burn to nothing. And in becoming nothing, they would cease to be. No reincarnation, no memory that they had ever been. A fate worse than death taking place beside a clear glass spring, sometimes serenaded by the cooing of sirens and the caws of takuri.

But you shouldn't believe everything you hear.

Snorting, Belial ascended past the wards on foot, twirling a second, more delicately-written missive between his fingers. This one, bound for the same eyes, had been written that morning in Princess Zelda's formal hand, seeking permission to deliver Hyrule's most precious jewel into the guardians' care.

It wasn't that Zelda didn't want to keep the death-still Vio in the castle. It pained her to send him away so soon after his return, but she thought it would be for the best. Neither Belial nor Sheik would tell her where Vio had been. She could order them to do so, but she would not. Unlike Green, she knew they had their reasons. But without knowing the threat (although Sheik and Belial both suspected that on some level, she DID know) she felt that she could not put in place adequate defenses. There were, however, those in the borderlands she knew who could.

It was said that the guardians were an old Hylian man and a young blind girl. A harmless, defenseless old man and the child he cared for, eking out a living by selling candles to the occasional passerby.

A crash of shattering glass, and a frying pan flew across the yard to land with a _plunk_ in the spring, breaking Belial from his musings. Loud, indignant yelling soon followed, and a mussy-haired red-head ran from the house to _skip _over the grass, grinning like a loon. A streak of furious, white-tailed blue soon followed, screaming obscenities fit to make a sailor blush.

Well, you shouldn't believe everything you hear.

* * *

"Why do we have to move him, again?" Green asked in a hushed whisper. A passing cloud covered the moon, throwing the castle courtyard into darkness as Zelda, Green, Blue, and Red gathered around a covered, horse-drawn cart. Their most vulnerable brother lay beneath the casing, asleep and hidden from the world inside his beautiful, heartless crystal.

"I already told you why, Green. Several times. Vio will be safer with our allies than he will be here," Zelda replied, outwardly calm and serene, but ever-so-slightly tense just beneath the surface. Green's attitude had begun to wear even her patience thin.

"If we want Vio safe, then why is _he_ coming?" Green demanded brusquely, gesturing vaguely in the direction he suspected Sheik was hiding.

Red eyes stared out sadly from their hiding place on the other side of the courtyard. Their owner sighed, moving with silent steps across the grass to join the group. "Because you don't know the way, Green."

Green's expression darkened and he moved closer to the wagon, hovering near it protectively. His reaction didn't go unnoticed, however.

"Green!" Zelda snapped, stomping over to him with a glare colder than a storm on Snowpeak Mountain, and jabbing her finger in his chest. "I have had just about enough of you! Sheik isn't going to hurt Vio! You'd better get your act together, because where you're going, they won't put up with it, and neither will I! Do you hear me?"

Green let out a very unknightly yelp, jumping away from her finger and gulping loudly. "Uh- yes, yes Zelda!" he squeaked. Blue snickered and Red elbowed him, trying to keep a straight face himself. Sheik's expression, though hidden behind his cowl, did not change.

"Good!" Zelda crossed her arms and glared at him hard, then embraced him and each of them in turn. "Take care everyone, and let me know the instant anything changes."

"We will," Red said, though he lacked his usual enthusiasm. Zelda gave him an understanding look and an extra-long hug, then sent them on their way.

Green refrained from addressing Sheik for the rest of the trip, but his suspicious looks and angry glares spoke volumes. Sheik disappeared when they stopped to make camp a few hours later, unable to endure it.

Green fussed about the wagon, straightening the crystal's cover, and wondering if Vio felt cold. He debated moving the crystal by the fire, but it was heavy, and he didn't want to risk anyone seeing it. Perhaps he should unhitch the horses in case someone tried to steal it? Yes, he would do that.

Red wandered over to help while Blue searched for wood to build a fire. They both kept glancing at Green, and Green tried to ignore them, but- "What?!" he snapped.

Red stopped petting one of the horses, an elegant chestnut mare, to stare at him. ". . . You're an idiot, Green. You'll see when Vio wakes up."

Green yanked the knot more tightly around the tree than was strictly necessary, his expression fixed in a scowl. "You haven't heard what I have, Red."

"I have so!" Red yelled, stomping his foot. "I have, and I know that everyone who says such things doesn't know anything about Sheik at all!"

"And how much do we know, really?" Green shot back. "We didn't even know he existed until what, a year ago? Not even two? He is SHEIKAH, Red. First and foremost. He'd always choose that over us."

Silence fell after Green's outburst. When Red spoke again, his voice carried a barely-suppressed fury, frothing beneath the surface. "You're wrong, Green. You are dead wrong. Goddesses help you when you finally see it, because nobody else will."

No one would speak to him for the rest of the trip unless they had to, and even then it was short and clipped. Green told himself he didn't care. He hovered by the cart, and glared daggers whenever Sheik attempted to approach it, even to help when a wheel broke on a mountain path and they had to stop to repair it.

"Need a hand, there?" Green and the others looked up towards the setting sun. A lithe red-head grinned at them from his perch on the cliff-face above their heads. He leapt down without waiting for an answer, his dark cloak swirling around him in a dramatic fashion as he landed with the grace of a panther. He strolled towards the cart and knelt to inspect the broken wheel.

"Always with the theatrics, Sanguine," Sheik muttered, facepalming.

Sanguine grinned. "At least I didn't use the enchanted ribbons this time~" he stood and patted the horses' rumps, setting them off again.

The three heroes blinked. When did he?...

Sanguine threw an arm around Sheik's shoulders, walking by his side and chatting good-naturedly with him for the rest of the trip. Sheik's mood seemed to pick up a little at this, and he even pulled down his cowl after a time, feeling more at ease. His eyes wandered to the cart and Green at the head of it, and a look of pain flashed across his face.

Sanguine followed Sheik's gaze and his eyes narrowed. The shithead in green needed a damn reality check.

* * *

"_He's been crying for you, you know."_

"Who?"

"Red."

"Oh..." Vio looked away. He didn't want Red to cry, but he wasn't ready to face him, or any of them yet. Although his mind was slowly growing stronger and more able to tell Dream-Shadow where to shove it, his body remained weak and useless. He'd found certain disturbing patterns of behavior difficult to break, and he didn't want Red, Sheik, or anyone else to see them.

_Dark shot him an annoyed look. "Whether or not you want to wake up yet, we're not going to have a choice soon."  
_

_Vio started. "What?! Why?!"_

"Because that new voice we just heard? That's Mai. Well, I guess he goes by Sanguine now. If Zelda's sending us to him, she's decided we've slept long enough."

* * *

Thank you to the Chapter four reviewers. I'm sorry for traumatizing so many of you. *cough *

There are a lot of you, I'm tired, and even though this is short, it's ending where I want it to, so I'm going to go ahead and post it because I'VE MADE YOU ALL WAIT LONG ENOUGH AND I'M SORRRRRYYY!

I'll try to get back and do responses later.


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